Choosing the Least Expensive Bid
Although a future homeowner’s first inclination may be to go with the least expensive bid, it is not always a wise choice. It is important to get a couple of different bids and compare them to get a solid base price, but not necessarily to take the cheapest one. We’ve all heard the saying, “you get what you pay for” and in this instance, it’s true. If one builder is much cheaper than others, ask yourself why. Are they experienced? Do they use quality materials? This will be your home for many years to come, so the better it is constructed, the less money it will cost in the future.
Not Having a Defined Budget
Creating a budget is a must for the sake of your sanity as well as the builder’s. Without a budget, deciding what fixtures, materials, and designs you can or can’t have will be impossible. You may fall in love with a certain flooring material, a back-splash, or bathtub and these items will add up quickly. A budget allows you to prioritize which rooms are most important to you and decide a maximum expense for each. Ultimately, budgeting will avert any disappointments or frustrations during the building process for all parties involved.
Designing Before Selecting a Property
You’ve decided to build a custom home and you are super excited, and guess what — you should be! Building your own home is a very exciting milestone in life. However, before diving into designing everything down to the last detail, choose a property first. There are a lot of logistics that go into building and one of those is the structure of the property. For example, in Denver, there are many homes that were built on sloping streets, In Castle Rock you might want to take advantage of the views of the Rock or Pikes Peak. Although this doesn’t sound like a huge deal, there are a lot of factors that come into play when it comes to things such as plumbing and water drainage. Having a property selected ahead of time will allow you and your builder to discuss how to make the structure come together while still being aesthetically pleasing. If you don’t feel comfortable choosing a plot of land on your own, a good builder will be willing to help.
Winging It
Without a plan, what was supposed to be an exciting experience can quickly become chaos. Before starting this time-consuming task, you need to plan not only for now, but also for the future. Are you going to be having kids soon? How often does family visit? What room is most important to you? These are just a few questions to be considered. If your family will be expanding, decide how many rooms will be necessary. When a plan is in place, you can be sure that all of your visions for your home will be met. This will make the process more clear for you and the builder.
Upgrading with Every Option in Your Custom Home
Again, having a budget and a plan is important; if those two steps are in place, this should not be a problem. However, sometimes temptation can get the best of us — but stay strong. Upgrades sounds great, and in that moment, they are. But when the bill comes for those upgrades, they may not seem so important or attractive. If there is room in the budget, definitely take upgrades as you see fit. But if not, know that it is always an option when the time is right.
Relying on Others to Make Decisions
You are building a custom home. Therefore, it should be your vision coming to life, not someone else’s. Asking for advice from friends, family, and your builder is perfectly fine, but if you are wanting a custom home, chances are you have some idea of what you want implemented to make it your own. At the end of the day, you will be the one living in it, so if you don’t like something, be sure to speak up!
Expecting No Delays
Murphy’s Law describes it best, “anything that can go wrong will go wrong.” This statement is not meant to make you apprehensive, but rather to set realistic expectations. Delays are inevitable and they can happen for a variety of reasons, so be prepared. It’s frustrating not only for the homeowner, but for the builder as well. Unfortunately, bad weather or backordered materials cannot always be predicted. For instance, one bad snow storm could cause a scheduling setback of a week or more. But fear not; if you know that this is a possibility before you start, you’ll have time to mentally prepare yourself and reduce stress.
If you have any comments, questions, or concerns, please don’t hesitate to Contact Us today. Our Evoke team is ready to help you make your custom home dreams come true.